Gunnar Nelson

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Gunnar Nelson targeting long-awaited return to the Octagon in March

Gunnar Nelson is looking for a fight.

Nelson, who has not fought since he suffered a decision loss to Gilbert Burns in September of 2019 at UFC Copenhagen, is targeting a March return according to John Kavanagh. His coach revealed he was talking to Nelson’s dad and manager, and now that his gym is reopened, Nelson wants to fight again.

“(He’s) actively looking for a fight now,” Kavanagh said at UFC 257 media day (h/t MMAJunkie). “So I was only chatting to Halli (Nelson), father/manager today. He goes, ‘Make sure to tell the guys we’re looking for a fight.’ So world, Gunnar Nelson: Let’s get him a fight. His gym literally just reopened last week. Iceland did a very severe lockdown and he wasn’t able to train martial arts. He was still doing lifting. He’s jacked now. He’s huge.

“Late March, I think we’re looking at (Johnny) Walker (on) March 27. But it would be great to get Gunnar Nelson on that card, too.”

Gunnar Nelson is currently on a two-fight losing streak after losing to Burns and Leon Edwards in March of 2019 by split decision. Before that, the Icelandic welterweight scored a submission win over Alex Oliveira after vicious elbows that cut the Brazilian wide open. He also holds notable wins over Alan Jouban, and Zak Cummings.

Who Nelson will fight in his return is uncertain at this point. The 32-year-old has lost to the second and third-ranked welterweights in back-to-back fights. It is hard to tell where Nelson would fit into the rankings if at all, due to the tough level of competition he has been facing. However, Gunnar Nelson is a big name and would likely get a well-known opponent in his return to the Octagon.

Regardless, it is good to see Nelson wanting to return as he is a fan-favorite and has put on some incredible fights.

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Cole Shelton
Cole Shelton covers MMA for BJPenn.com, MMANews, and MyMMANews.com while also being the lead MMA odds writer for Sports Betting Dime